


Studies in Vampirism and Villainy

by masonswritersroom, zachstoned



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Bat Jeff Winger, Bisexual Abed Nadir (Community), Canon Autistic Character, Electrocution, Gay Troy Barnes (Community), Hypnosis, M/M, Meltdown, Nonbinary Abed Nadir (Community), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sensory Overload, They/Them Pronouns for Abed Nadir (Community), Trigger warnings before certain chapters, Vampire Jeff Winger, missing person
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 23:46:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29233992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masonswritersroom/pseuds/masonswritersroom, https://archiveofourown.org/users/zachstoned/pseuds/zachstoned
Summary: Previously titled asMonsters Among Us.Three years have passed since Britta Perry disappeared from the state of Colorado, and there hasn't been a peaceful moment at Greendale ever since. With the hilarious characters from Dan Harmon'sCommunity,Studies in Vampirism and Villainyexplores the world of Greendale like you've never seen it before. Two lovers go on a mission to search for their missing friend. A murderer roams the state. A vampire learns what it's like to be human, and to be loved by one.
Relationships: Dean Craig Pelton/Jeff Winger, Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir
Comments: 8
Kudos: 16





	Studies in Vampirism and Villainy

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! This is my first time collaborating with someone for a fanfic, and I'm very happy to have chosen my dear friend Zach. Please give them thanks for writing the amazing opening paragraph, some of the lines throughout the fic, and for being such an amazing beta-reader! They really deserve it. I've been planning this fic for months and only began writing it in early January, and I’m very excited for you all to see this story continue as the chapters unfold.
> 
> That being said, we hope you enjoy Chapter One of _Studies in Vampirism and Villainy_.

The thing about people is, like many things in life, they’re fleeting.

You can know someone one day, learn every single little quirk that makes up their being, take note of every string of DNA running through their veins, only to see them become a completely different person the next day.

Then suddenly you’re buying apricots at the grocery store, seeing the best friend from your distant childhood across the way, eyes boring into the back of their head so hard they could potentially leave a mark, and thinking “How did we get _here_?”

You think of all the times you used to play pirates together, talk about girls you liked, dream about a world that was bigger and brighter than your own.

You think about the last time you talked, and all the things you wish you’d said to them before they slammed that door in your face, or stopped answering your calls, or how all your friends are kind of _their_ friends too now, and how awkward it all is. And a part of you is hoping, _aching_ for them to turn their head and catch your eyes, really see you as you are, a dam bursting full of longing.

You think about what you’d say to them, if you ever got to talk again, if things could be the way they were back then. How have your nights been? As long as mine? Do you still love that song I used to hear you hum all the time? What foot would you and I start off on? The wrong one, probably.

You clutch your grocery bag in your hand, balled into a fist. You take a deep breath, and hope they feel it from across the room. Somewhere deep in your mind, you hope they see you too.

But really, you know they’re just here to buy apricots.

You can know someone for years - a living, breathing, flesh being like yourself - only to watch everyone forget about them within a number of weeks.

You can watch someone vanish before your very eyes.

* * *

It had been three years since Britta Perry disappeared from Greendale, Colorado. It had also been three years since Abed Nadir and Troy Barnes started searching for her when everyone else had given up.

They remember it like it was yesterday.

The last time they saw Britta was when she was visiting their apartment one summer evening, needing someone to talk to. She was preparing to go on a date with someone they set her up with, and she wanted some last-minute help with finding the right things to say. It made sense for her to come to them for advice since they were her closest friends.

Britta dated a bunch of different people a while back, and those relationships always ended up short-lived. But when it came to this one person in particular, she was so curious about their personal life that she almost couldn’t imagine herself not being a part of it. She _really_ wanted this relationship to work out.

So, Troy and Abed gave her the advice she needed. After a good amount of time listening to their wacky-yet-heartfelt advice, Britta finally made her way out of the apartment with bright, hopeful eyes. She felt ready to be herself with the person she cared about the most. As she left their apartment building, Troy and Abed yelled for her to text them as soon as she got to her date.

Two hours passed after she left the apartment, with no text sent to either Troy or Abed. For a little while, they thought it might have just taken her a while to get there, or that she had just been busy enjoying her date. Then the anxiety started to settle in when they began texting her and didn’t get any responses back. What started as a couple of innocent questions like “did you get there on time?” or “are you there?” became frantic as the minutes passed. It wasn’t like her to leave them hanging for this long.

They received a phone call from Britta’s date later that night.

_She didn’t even show up._

Without a moment to lose, Troy and Abed fled the apartment, fearing for their friend’s life. They made it to the restaurant where her date was sitting alone at a table, breathing heavily. The two men found out that not even her date could get a hold of her that night. So, they began searching the area around the restaurant, trying to find any traces of where she could’ve been seen. They didn’t find anything, so they began searching down the block and several other streets, looking through every crevice and every alleyway, hoping to find something, _anything_ at all.

They found absolutely _nothing._

Just when it felt like all hope was lost, Abed realized that there was one thing they hadn’t checked yet: the security cameras. The three of them ran into the restaurant and begged the manager to let them check the cameras so they could try to find Britta from what footage they had. The manager wasn’t willing to help them at first, even when Troy pretended to cry. But then Britta’s date smashed a plate over their head, and the manager fell to the floor unconscious. With no time to lose, the three of them ran further into the restaurant until they found a surveillance room, and they ran inside, locking the door so that security couldn’t find them.

The three of them took a moment to observe the computers and panels surrounding the room’s walls before breaking off and separately checking each screen for footage. Troy cluelessly began clicking buttons that required an identification number, while Britta’s date stood still as they tried to analyze the footage in front of them. They were watching a live view of the restaurant outside, which showed them the dumpsters in the back, as well as an alleyway that they already searched through nearby.

While this occurred, Abed noticed a keycard buried underneath the keyboard in front of him and pulled it out, typing the identification number into the computer. The system granted him access to view older footage from the camera feed. After a bit of scrolling and clicking, he finally found something.

“Guys,” Abed said, taking in what was happening in front of him. Britta’s date and Troy didn’t acknowledge him. “ _Guys_.” Abed repeated, his voice much more urgent now. The two of them stopped what they were doing and walked over to the computer in front of him.

The computer showed a series of screens of camera footage an hour after Britta left the apartment. In one of the screens, they spotted a woman who was about to walk past an alleyway when a mysterious pair of hands grabbed her and forcefully pulled her into the darkness. Troy arched a brow at the footage, not sure what to make of it.

However, as Abed zoomed in, the two of them realized that their discovery was much more grim than they anticipated.

They were able to get a much better view of the scene in front of them. The woman’s hair was blonde. The arms that appeared from the darkness looked tough, ragged, and had sharp claws practically protruding from its nails. It had a pair of bright red eyes that opened the moment she was grabbed. It looked like she was about to scream until one of the hands covered her mouth, silencing her cry for help. Before she could fight back, it was too late. She was gone without a trace.

“No,” Britta’s date whispered in shock. “No, no, _shit_ , guys, _we have to go back_!” Her date ran to the door and pushed it open with strong arms, knocking out a security guard in the process. They ran out of the room and began making their way outside, and the two men began to follow them from behind.

They made it to the alleyway and began searching again, this time much more frantic.

“Britta?” Her date called out. “Britta!” Abed cried out. Troy began opening several dumpsters and poked his head inside, keeping one of his hands on his nose to prevent himself from inhaling the _godawful_ scent. It didn’t look like she was inside either of them. “You’ve gotta be here somewhere!” Troy yelled, motioning for Britta’s date to check down the alleyway.

Britta’s date didn’t move a muscle. Their expression turned from shock to complete despair. Their face scrunched up and tears began to pour from their eyes. They started sniffling. Troy and Abed quickly turned around at the sound of a sob, and they quickly ran over to them. Her date began trembling and slowly descended to the ground, knees hitting the pavement as sobs began to echo throughout the alleyway.

“We were too late,” Britta’s date whispered. “She’s gone and we couldn’t even _help_ her.” Troy and Abed wrapped them in an embrace. Tears fell out of Troy’s eyes, and they cried with her date. Abed looked like he was trying his hardest to suppress the tears ready to escape from his eyes, until he buried his face in her date’s shoulder and his shoulders trembled.

Britta Perry had been declared missing 24 hours later.

Despite the traumatic experience of watching her disappear, Troy and Abed vowed to rescue Britta and catch the monster. They started their search by recounting the scene of the crime through sketches and notes covering the walls of their apartment. Then, they began looking through various missing cases. Some of the cases were still open for investigation, while others had been closed fairly quickly, with their victims being declared as deceased. All of those missing people had one thing in common: they all mysteriously disappeared during late hours of the night and were never seen again. It was safe to assume the monster had captured or killed some of the missing people, too. Troy and Abed’s search had become a lot broader now. If they could find the monster responsible, they would not only be finding Britta, but many other victims as well.

They spent days walking through the dangerous streets of Colorado hoping to find someone, and they spent nights walking through dark forests and sometimes coming home with a pet along the way. They didn’t find anything, though. Troy bought some bear traps to help them catch the monster, but they were never used and often ended up being thrown into an empty room. There was practically a whole pile of them sitting in a corner of the room by now.

Troy and Abed tried going to the police station to ask for Officer Chang’s help, but he couldn’t find Britta even with the two of them by his side. So he gave up after the first few tries. Desperate, Abed started asking some of his friends for help. Annie was unavailable for the time being due to a crisis of her own. Shirley was too busy taking care of her sons. Don’t even get them started on Pierce.

A year passed.

Troy and Abed were getting desperate.

They came to Dean Pelton for guidance. He didn’t even know that Britta disappeared until they asked for his help. They resorted to asking strangers for help on the street. They got chased out of buildings and stations for trying to look through security footage and records. People told them to give up on searching for the monster and the missing victims. No matter how hard they tried to prove everyone wrong, they were always told that there was no hope in finding a monster that didn’t exist.

Another year passed.

Troy and Abed were awake one October night watching _A Nightmare on Elm Street_. Troy was anxiously scarfing down a bunch of popcorn to distract himself from the death scenes. Abed was staring intensely at the television screen. Their expression was unreadable, as if they were lost in thought. There was no way they could focus on the movie at all. Troy turned to look at his partner.

“Abed,” he said.

No answer. Abed continued to stare at the screen. It was as if there was something plaguing their thoughts.

“Abed,” Troy repeated himself, more concerned this time. Abed looked at their boyfriend, having snapped out of their daze. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Abed nodded.

“F- _i_ -n-e or f- _y_ -n-e?”

“F- _y_ -n-e,” They confirmed. “I just can’t focus on the movie without thinking about the monster.”

Troy grew silent. Abed turned back to the television screen, and so did Troy. For a moment at least. There was a scene playing where Freddy Krueger was sharpening his razors, getting ready to kill his next victim. It reminded Troy about the monster in the alleyway, and how long its claws were. The main difference, though, was that it didn’t have razors on its hands. At least that was a good thing.

“You know, I’ve never seen a monster have such freakishly long nails before,” Troy commented. “It’s kind of weird how they were painted black, though. Like it came out of a Hot Topic or something.” Abed chuckled to themself, silently agreeing with their boyfriend’s observation. Troy smiled at them for a moment. Then his smile faded.

“Abed… you think they were right?”

Abed furrowed a brow. “About what?”

“About Britta, and… the monster. We’ve already spent a couple years looking for them, and no matter how hard we tried to find something that would make things easier, we always ran into a dead end. We were always shut down by people telling us that there isn’t any hope in searching further. I just can’t stop thinking about what they said, and maybe I’m starting to think that they might be right.”

The room grew silent. Abed began staring at the floor, trying to figure out what to say next. Troy swallowed nervously and started fumbling with his hands, looking down at them to distract himself from the information he just dropped. They just sat there for a while. The scene in front of them showed Freddy ready to strike his next victim. Before he could strike them, though, he turned around to see a bunch of people standing behind him, ready to fight back. Abed finally decided to speak up.

“I don’t think they’re right,” Abed started. “They only say those things because they don’t know what it’s like to lose someone they care about. They don’t have the energy to dedicate years of their life to looking for someone. But we do. We still have work to do. Oddly enough, there haven’t been that many cases of missing people since we started searching for Britta. That means we have more of an opportunity to find the monster and the others as well. We’ve come so far now, it’d be a disservice to break our promise to Britta.” Abed gently grabbed his hands. “I haven’t given up yet, Troy, and I don’t think you should either. I still have hope that we’ll find her.”

Troy was too stunned to speak. He looked at Abed with a hopeful gaze, taking in every word that came out of their mouth. Abed always had a way with words, and that was one of the reasons why Troy fell for them in the first place. He didn’t even realize that there were tears rolling down his cheeks until Abed gently wiped them away with their thumb. Troy let out a little sniffle.

“Are those good tears or bad tears?”

“Good tears,” Troy clarified. He gently placed his hands over Abed’s and gave them a sincere smile. “You always know how to make me feel better. That’s one of the reasons why I love you, Abed.”

Abed pressed a gentle kiss to Troy’s forehead. “I love you too, Troy,” They said. Abed pulled back to pause the movie, getting up from the chair to walk over to one of the drawings on the wall. Troy followed them from behind and tilted his head upon looking at it.

“There’s one more place we haven’t checked,” Abed started. “We should’ve gone there before, but now that we’ve practically checked everywhere in Greendale, I have a feeling that this place might be our most important location yet. We’re gonna need backup for this.”

Troy turned to look at them with a somewhat worried expression on his face. “Abed… where are we going?”

Abed turned to face Troy. “We’re going to the caves north of Greendale,” They started. “And we’re gonna take that monster down.”

* * *

The next evening, Troy and Abed were sitting in the backseat of Officer Chang’s police van, wearing protective gear. They were being driven from the Greendale police station to the depths of the dark forest up north. There were large bags in the back of the van full of equipment. Chang kept both hands on the steering wheel as his eyes remained focused on the road ahead of him. He occasionally peeked over to look at the map of the forest on his phone. They were following a smooth road up a hill, hoping to arrive safely towards the cave up top.

“Remind me why you two need me up there again?” The officer asked, peering up at the window above him.

“We’re planning on catching the monster together,” Abed started. “If we manage to catch it without any casualties, we could probably find a way to make it lead us to the missing people it must’ve kidnapped.” They turned to look at Troy after finishing their explanation.

“Right,” Chang nodded. “And if that doesn’t work out?”

“You come in as backup,” Troy answered. “Isn’t that supposed to be, y’know, your job?”

“Well, yeah, I can try,” The officer replied. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough to fight it, though.”

Troy and Abed exchanged a look. Troy felt uncertain about the situation while Abed looked determined, despite their anxiety. Abed moved their hand over to Troy’s, intertwining their fingers and giving his hand a tight, reassuring squeeze. Troy kept his eyes on them.

“Breathe,” Abed whispered. “We’re going to be alright.”

“Okay,” Troy nodded and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and his body began to relax. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and looked at his partner. “Okay, I think that helped. I trust you, Abed.”

Chang smiled to himself, unable to resist eavesdropping on their conversation. However, his smile faded as he spotted a giant cave in the distance. Chang drove by a few tall trees and parked near a tree.

“I think I found the cave, you two,” Chang warned them. He turned to face them. “Get out of the van, and I’ll unload your stuff from the back.” Troy and Abed nodded at him before getting out of the van. Chang stepped out of the driver’s seat and shut the doors before walking over to the back of the van, opening it. There were two large bags inside, belonging to Troy and Abed respectively. They were both filled to the brim and had some equipment tied to the straps, including the bear traps Troy bought a few years ago.

“You’re _positive_ the monster’s in there?” The officer asked. Troy and Abed nodded. “Alright, if you say so.”

Chang slammed the doors shut and locked the doors to the van. He reached for the walkie-talkie attached to his hip, and he began speaking into it. Troy and Abed could hear him saying “I know you don’t believe me about this whole monster situation, but…” and “...Alright, standby for backup”.

“Let’s go,” Abed said. Troy nodded, and the two of them made their way towards the cave as Chang watched from behind. Abed walked in front of Troy and eventually took a stop. Troy stood behind them, seemingly going out of his way to kick every rock in sight. A creaking noise came from inside the cave, and Troy flinched. Abed put their hand in front of the man protectively.

“Hang on,” Abed warned him. “We should check if we have everything we need before going in.”

“Oh,” Troy breathed. “Okay, yeah, we can do that.” He took a few steps back from the cave. He placed his heavy bag on the gravel floor and started to unload his belongings. Abed stood next to him.

“First-Aid kit?”

Troy held up a small red bag containing bandages, gauze, an ice pack, and some alcohol wipes. “Check.”

“Rope?”

Troy held up some synthetic rope. “Check.”

“Flashlight?”

Troy held up a flashlight and turned it on for good measure. “Check.”

“Giant net?”

Troy held up the net. “Check.”

“Emergency weighted blanket?”

Troy held up Abed’s weighted blanket. It was carefully folded up to avoid taking up too much space in his bag. He always made sure to pack it in case Abed were to have a meltdown while searching for the monster. “Check.”

“Alright, I think that’s everything,” Abed said. Troy nodded and shoved the items back in his bag as quickly as possible, leaving the flashlight in his hand and the pepper spray in his pocket. He put his bag over his shoulders. The two turned to face each other, looking determined as ever. They did their signature handshake, and held each other’s hands tightly afterwards.

“ _Troy and Abed monster hunting_!” They sang in unison.

Abed began to lead Troy into the cave, still holding onto their boyfriend’s hand while their other hand held the flashlight in a tight grip. Abed shone the flashlight on the walls of the cavern, checking to make sure there weren’t any creatures ready to attack them. Troy began walking ahead of them to look at some faint sketches on the walls.

The left wall had a bunch of white tally marks and a drawing of a stick figure with big ears, as well as the phrase “ _go away_ ” written in red. The right wall was covered in tally marks and a variety of phrases written down, such as “ _leave this place_ ” or “ _turn back_ ”, all in faded red marks. There was even a faded red splatter in the middle of the letter ‘C’. Troy knew it wasn’t ketchup he was looking at.

Abed stood behind him the whole time, making sure that nothing was going to get in their way. Their eyes traveled to a dusty old bed that was mysteriously placed at the back of the cave. Abed took a moment to examine it from afar. The bedsheets were dirty and covered with debris. The bed had a canopy that was ridden with spiderwebs and tears all over its fabric, like it had been there for many years. Strangely enough, it looked like it came out of the Victorian era. Abed felt disgusted by the sight of it and looked at Troy to distract themself.

“Don’t get too distracted,” Abed whispered. “It might be tempting to look at every nook and cranny around this cave, but we’re just here to find the monster. It could be hiding anywhere, so keep your eyes peeled.”

Troy nodded. “Got it,” He said, and he started pacing around the cave. Troy suddenly heard a little ping from above, and he shone his light on the source of the sound to try and identify it. Unfortunately, he made the horrible mistake of waking up a cauldron of bats that were sleeping upside down. One by one, the bats began to open their eyes, and their heads turned in quick succession to look at Troy. He felt his heart stop for a moment.

This _really_ wasn’t good.

Without a moment to lose, Troy turned to his partner. “Abed, cover your ears and get down now!” He warned them with a yell, and the bats began to let out high-pitched sounds that echoed throughout the cave. The bats dropped down from the ceiling and began flying towards the two with great urgency. Abed flinched and fell to the floor, with Troy following them as well. The two of them pressed their hands against their ears and squeezed their eyes shut, trying not to focus on the feeling of the bats flapping around them.

Abed pressed their knees to their chest and let out a high-pitched wail. The wailing grew in intensity as they heard the bat’s screeches grow in volume. As if things couldn’t get any worse, the bats’ wings began flapping directly on Abed’s face, and they recoiled from how _gross_ it felt. Their head started to ache, and that was enough to make tears fall from their eyes. Troy started screaming as well. Abed began rocking back and forth, unable to fight how _horrible_ the feeling was. Their throat started to ache, too. Abed felt like the whole world was closing in on them, and they wished for the universe to send them a sign, a sign that would make everything just _stop_.

Fortunately, the bats began to fly away after a while. They were finally left alone in the dark.

Troy stopped screaming the moment the bats left, but Abed kept wailing, though it was much quieter now. Troy slowly moved his arms away from his ears and took a moment to check if there were any other bats left.

There was only one bat left, and Troy saw it sleeping underneath the canopy of the old Victorian bed. It was as if the bat had been there the whole time, unbothered by the commotion as it hung in a deep sleep. For some reason, the sight of the sleeping bat was enough to send a shiver down his spine.

They really couldn’t stay for long. Abed continued to rock back and forth. Troy pulled the emergency weighted blanket out of his bag.

“Abed, the bats are gone,” Troy spoke softly. “Can I wrap your weighted blanket around you?” Abed looked at Troy and nodded, refusing to say a word. Troy carefully wrapped the blanket over their shoulders. Abed’s wailing stopped after a while. They stopped rocking, too.

Troy looked at them remorsefully. “I never should have shined that light at those bats,” He said in a low voice. “I’m really sorry, Abed. Do you wanna get out of here?”

Abed turned to face him. “Please.”

Troy rose up from the ground and offered a hand to them. Abed nodded and took his hand. They carefully lifted themself off the floor while their other hand held onto the weighted blanket. Troy let go of Abed’s hand, careful not to overwhelm them, and led them out of the cave. Abed followed from behind, using both hands to keep the blanket wrapped around them.

As the two made their way out of the cave, Chang was found leaning against the back of his van. He tilted his head to the side when he noticed Abed’s change in demeanor.

“What happened in there?” The officer asked.

Troy looked at Chang. “Abed had a meltdown after I scared a bunch of bats.” He turned to look at them for a brief moment, noticing Abed trying to catch their breath. He looked at the back of the officer’s van. “Can you let them rest for a bit?”

Chang nodded and opened the doors. There were a few empty seats in the back of the van for Abed to sit on. They looked at the seats for a second, then they looked at Troy. Abed stepped inside of the van and sat on one of the chairs, having appreciated the gesture. The officer kept the doors open so Abed could get some air. They rested their head against the window as the gentle wind relaxed them.

Troy stood near the doors and tried not to look at Abed too much. Chang looked at them worriedly. Troy felt guilty about all of this. He blamed himself for Abed’s meltdown. He felt like this was all his fault, like he ruined everything.

Troy looked at Abed, then looked away.

He needed to stop blaming himself right now, because he knew Abed would be okay in the end. He knew Abed would put themself back together, and he knew they’d be able to go back to their apartment and sleep for the rest of the night. As long as he knew this, he’d finally be able to stop beating himself up over it.

“Troy,” Abed said, snapping Troy out of his trance. Troy looked at them one last time. Abed no longer looked tense, and the weighted blanket was on one side of their shoulder now.

“Yeah?” Troy asked.

“I forgive you,” Abed said. “You said you were sorry for shining your light at the bats, and I thought you should know that. You were just being curious, even if there was a consequence to it.”

Troy gave his partner a gentle smile, relieved. “Thanks, Abed,” He said. “Are you feeling better now?”

“I feel a little better,” Abed nodded. Troy let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding in. “Try not to blame yourself too much for it. Also, I’m ready to go home if you are.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Troy smiled. Abed got up from their seat and carefully stepped out of the van, making sure not to stumble. “You up for a marathon of _Inspector Spacetime_ tonight?” He asked with a grin.

Abed nodded. “You know it.”

Troy smiled and wrapped his arms around Abed, embracing them. He rested his head on their shoulders and smiled when he felt Abed’s hands wrap around his back. He always thought Abed’s hugs were the best. They couldn’t wait to cuddle later.

Chang smiled at the two. Just as he was about to prepare them for their ride home, he spotted two little red dots shining from inside the cave. His expression turned into one of confusion, and he squinted at the dots to try and get a better look at them. Chang couldn’t tell what he was looking at, so he stepped away from the van to get a close view. Making sure not to step near the cave, he stood in the middle of the gravelly floor and realized what he was looking at. There was a small little bat staring directly at him from under the bed, the same one Troy had seen while Abed had their meltdown. Its eyes were bright red, occasionally blinking every once in a while even as it continued to stare at them. Chang felt a shiver run down his spine. It felt like he was looking straight into the eyes of death itself.

“Um, you guys...?” Chang asked. The duo looked up from their embrace. “Was that bat always there?” His voice trembled with fear.

Troy and Abed turned to look at Chang, confused. Then they looked at the cave, spotting what Chang had been staring at. Or rather, what had been staring at all three of them. Abed arched a brow with curiosity, then they looked down at Troy. They felt their heart jump in their throat once they noticed the petrified look on his face. Troy’s eyes were wide and his body was completely frozen in fear. It looked as if he had been paralyzed by the bat’s deathly gaze.

“Troy?” Abed asked in a whisper.

Troy didn’t answer, but his body began to shake.

“Troy,” Abed repeated, tapping his shoulders.

Troy began breathing heavily.

“Troy,” Abed repeated anxiously. They placed their hands on his shoulders.

“Abed,” Troy finally choked out. “I—I can’t move. I don’t know what to do.”

Abed turned to look at Chang, who he expected to have been running to help them by now. That is, if he wasn’t petrified by the bat’s eyes as well. Chang had been frozen in a defensive stance. He looked like he had seen a ghost. His hand was frozen before he could grab his taser. Sweat dripped down from his forehead to his jaw, as if he could feel the bat’s chilling stare in his bones. Abed ran their eyes up and down Chang’s body, scanning him as if they were trying to find something to fix this.

Abed furrowed their brows with an uncertain look on their face. Right as they were about to squint and look inside the cave, the bat began shaking angrily, as if the lengthy eye contact was enough to provoke it. Abed turned to the officer, who was no longer shaking and finally held the taser with a tight grip. Troy had stopped trembling as well, and Abed removed their hands from his shoulders in an instant.

Abed was about to open their mouth to speak, when the sound of a loud screech made them turn to the bat. Without warning, it flew out of the cave and towards the officer with the speed of a monster truck.

Chang turned on his taser, ready to electrocute the bat until it hit the ground. However, just as he was preparing to strike, the bat began to change form, almost like it was… turning human. Its eyes grew rounder. Its limbs grew longer and its wings began to shrink. Its fur began revealing patches of human skin underneath, and it started growing human hands and feet. Neat brown hair grew from its head and its wings finally disappeared.

It wasn’t until Troy and Abed saw a familiar set of black nails grow from its fingers, that they realized their search for the monster had finally come to an end.

The officer was frozen in shock. The taser flew out of his hand and fell to the ground, powering off on impact. The monster let out a growl and bore his teeth, revealing a sharp pair of fangs to the officer below him. Chang quickly moved his hands to the monster’s shoulders, trying to pry him away from his neck. The officer felt a tear run down his eye and he let out a shrill scream, fearing for his life. The vampire scoffed and headbutted him without hesitation.

Troy’s eyes widened at the sight and he pulled away from Abed; He ran towards the taser and reached out his hand to try and grab it. The vampire turned around and lunged towards Troy, knocking him down to the ground. Its strength was enough to keep him restrained.

“ _Troy_!” Abed yelled. Troy struggled to look at them, letting out a helpless cry. Abed quickly ran over Troy’s bag and began unzipping it, rummaging through his things to try and find something to pull the vampire back.

The vampire pinned Troy’s arms above him and glared down at his neck. He bore his razor sharp fangs and began lowering them, ready to finish him off right there. Troy let out a yell and without hesitation, he kicked the vampire straight in the crotch. The vampire let out a pained scream as he let go of Troy’s arms and fell off of him. Abed began sprinting towards the monster, using Troy’s orange synthetic rope as a lasso to reel him in by the neck. Troy sat up on the ground for a second to catch his breath before getting up to run towards the taser again.

The vampire tried using his hands to pull off the rope, but Abed kept their grip tight, making sure the rope left straining marks on his neck. The vampire let out a high-pitched scream, and just as he was going to use his nails to rip the material apart, he froze up as soon as he saw Troy running towards him with the taser in his hand. The former athlete looked into Abed’s eyes, giving them the cue to let go of the rope. Abed nodded and let the rope fall out of his hands, knowing what Troy was about to do next.

The former athlete let out a victorious yell as he turned the taser on and brought it down to the vampire’s stomach. The vampire let out a shrill scream, feeling the electricity run through his entire body. Troy turned off the taser and let it fall to the ground. He and Abed backed away from the vampire, watching in equal horror. Tears ran down the monster’s face as he screamed in pain. He began convulsing and spasming, curling in on himself as the shocks incapacitated his nerves. The screaming grew louder in intensity, almost as if he could feel his central nervous system shutting down.

Troy winced at the sight and shielded his face in Abed’s shoulder. He couldn’t bear to watch someone go through that type of pain, even if it was someone they had been hunting for years. Abed wrapped an arm around Troy’s shoulder and began stroking his hair as a distraction from the sight in front of them.

The vampire’s body stopped jerking after a few seconds passed. Troy lifted his head up from Abed’s shoulder and looked at the vampire, keeping an eye on his chest to see if his heart was still beating. Abed let go of Troy, allowing him to scope things out as they walked over to Chang, who was lying on the floor with a bloody nose. Troy picked up the taser and held it in his hand, holding it close in case the vampire were to attack again. He walked towards the vampire and took a good look at him. Troy noticed that his chest had started to rise then fall, like he was still able to breathe even after the fatal shock. It was honestly really shocking. His eyes rested shut.

Although the vampire looked uncoordinated, his heartbeat still persisted. It was good that he was still alive, because he would only bring Troy and Abed closer to finding Britta, as well as the other missing victims. Troy turned to Abed, who he spotted helping Chang up from the floor. The officer winced and pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stop blood from running. Abed led him to the van and hoisted him up onto one of the empty seats in the back.

Troy glanced at the vampire in front of him. He was still on the ground. Thank _God_. Abed walked over to the vampire’s side. They stared down at him with an arched brow.

“Abed,” Troy whispered. “Should we start questioning him?”

Abed hummed. “I don’t think so,”

“Why not?” Troy asked, tilting his head with curiosity.

“For all we know, he could try to escape when we least expect it,” Abed explained. “That, or he might not even have the energy to do anything right now.”

“True,” Troy whispered. He looked down at the vampire’s chest, arching a brow. “It’s… weird. I don’t know how someone can still live after getting shocked like that.”

“I read somewhere that a vampire _could_ regenerate after electrocution, but the chances are slim,” Abed said. They reached over to pick up the synthetic rope from the ground. It was covered in dust and gravel. “Troy, go grab some more rope from my bag and help me tie him up. We could question him at the police station.”

Troy nodded. Right when he was about to walk away, the vampire let out a pained whimper. The former athlete froze in his tracks, and Abed backed away from him with caution. Abed began to tie the rope into a lasso, just in case they needed to restrain the vampire again. Troy picked up the taser and pointed it at him. He did his best to stand his ground this time.

The vampire made an attempt to open his eyes despite his lack of energy. There was crust stuck on the corners of his eyes, residual from the tears that ran down his face. The vampire scowled. Troy and Abed took a good look at him this time. He looked like _garbage_. His face was completely pale and stained with tears. His arms and legs were covered in dirt and gravel. There were bags under his eyes, like he hadn’t slept in a hot minute. His hair was messy from the shock.

Chang looked up from his seat. “You two, knock him out now!” He called out weakly. Troy and Abed looked up at the officer, and Abed shook their head.

“No,” Abed stated.

“No?” Chang asked in disbelief.

“No.” Abed repeated.

“Why not?” He scowled.

“We don’t know if he’ll even make it to the police station in this state,” Abed explained. “We’re just gonna question him now. If he drops dead, we move on whether we like it or not.”

Officer Chang opened his mouth to speak, but he leaned back in the chair when he felt a sharp pain in his head. Abed turned to face Troy.

“Alright,” They whispered. “We’re gonna start questioning him now. If he doesn’t respond then just keep hitting him with more questions. But we need to get an answer out of him at some point.”

Troy gulped. “You sure about this?”

Abed nodded. “I’m sure.”

“Alright,” Troy breathed. He tightened his grip on the taser and continued to point it at the vampire defensively. The vampire opened his eyes slowly. He grumbled to himself, getting used to his senses again. He looked up and glared at Troy, then at Abed. It didn’t look like he had any intention of attacking.

“Don’t move a muscle,” Abed warned him. “We’re not going to hurt you.”

The vampire groaned. The two took that as a sign of acknowledgement.

Abed pointed to Troy. “This is my boyfriend, Troy Barnes,’ They introduced him before pointing to themself. “My name is Abed Nadir. We’re going to be asking you a couple of questions tonight.”

“And by a couple, we mean a lot,” Troy finished their sentence. “Hope you’re ready for them.”

“First question,” Abed began. “Where were you on the night of August 7th, 2018?”

The vampire glanced at Abed with a scrunched up look on his face. He closed his eyes and scowled to himself. Then, he slurred something unintelligible. Abed arched a brow and tilted their head, confused by what the vampire said.

“You wanna say that one more time?” They asked expectantly.

The vampire murmured something again, but it didn’t sound like English. It was like he spoke in another language, one unfamiliar and foreign to Troy and Abed.

“Hm,” Abed hummed and looked over at Troy. “That didn’t work. Keep trying.”

“Next question,” Troy said, turning to look at the vampire again. “Do all vampires wear capes, and if so, where can I get one? They look awesome.”

The vampire quickly opened his eyes and gave him a dumbfounded look. He opened his mouth a little bit and let his fangs show. It felt as if he had just been asked the stupidest question in his entire life. The vampire closed his eyes, embarrassed to even look Troy in the eye. He remained silent.

“Really?” Troy sighed, disappointed. “I thought that would work.”

Abed shook their head. “Alright, last question,” They said. “What have you done to Britta Perry?”

The vampire’s eyes flew open in an _instant_ upon hearing her name. Troy flinched from the shock and backed away an inch. Abed’s eyes widened upon the realization that they found their answer. _She’s still alive_ , they thought. Before they could think of anything else, the vampire slowly brought himself up from the ground and turned around. Abed flinched and took a step back.

“You know her,” Abed breathed. They began to back away from the vampire, keeping a tight grip on the rope in their hands. “What’s your relationship like with her? How did you two meet?” They asked, continuing to question him. Their heart started pounding rapidly. The vampire growled at Abed and began walking towards him faster. His hand formed a fist and it shook ferociously with anger.

“ _Abed_ ,” Troy warned them. “Abed, watch out!” He yelled. He gripped the taser tightly.

“What have you done to the other missing victims?” Abed asked quickly. Their voice began to falter. The vampire bore his fangs and breathed heavily. “Are you holding any hostage? Have you killed any of them?” His eyes pierced into Abed’s, like a knife piercing into a heart. Cold, shocking dread ran through their body. Abed backed away much quicker now. “Tell me! Where are you _hiding_ them?!”

Just as the vampire prepared to lunge towards Abed, he stopped and turned around when he heard the former athlete dash towards him.

“ _Stop_!” Troy screamed, and he aimed the taser towards the vampire’s chest.

The vampire rolled his eyes before staring into Troy’s. Without a warning, his pupils began to constrict, and his eyes shone bright red. Troy only had a moment of confusion before stopping what he was doing, and dropping the taser to the ground. His eyes turned a light shade of red, and he stood on the gravelly floor with a dazed look on his face. It was as if the vampire had placed Troy in a trance, like he had completely stripped him of his bodily autonomy.

Abed’s eyes grew wide. “ _Troy_!” They yelled. The vampire turned around and stared them down. Abed cursed themself as soon as they were caught in the vampire’s paralyzing trance. Their fearful expression disappeared and their arms fell limp, synthetic rope falling out of their hands. The vampire smirked to himself, amused by their dread.

Chang struggled to get out of his seat for a moment, but as soon as his feet hit the ground, he began to wobble towards the vampire with a staggering gait. The vampire tilted his head and stared at him for a moment. There was an incredulous look on his face as he took in the hilarious sight of a short, injured police officer struggling to run towards him. The vampire shuddered in disgust, and he stared the officer down. This time, he used his powers to control him and make him stop running.

The vampire turned his head to look at Chang, then Troy, then Abed. He twirled his hand in a small circle, which made the three of them automatically turn to look at him. The vampire cleared his throat and winced from the pain.

“You— you will forget this _ever_ happened,” The vampire commanded them slowly. Troy, Abed, and Chang nodded in response to the order. “The three of you will help me get out of here and escape.” He managed to get out in a breath.

Chang looked up at the vampire, still in a trance. He no longer had a nosebleed, nor did he feel any pain. The vampire turned to look down at him. He stared at the dry blood below the officer’s nose and on his head, and the sight of it made his mouth water. He was so caught up with attacking the three of his victims that he almost forgot about his nightly blood intake. The vampire cursed to himself, disappointed that he let this happen. Vampires have been known to feed off of blood—humans, animals, other monsters, you name it—for centuries; it’s common knowledge at this point. However, they can’t go without feeding for too long, or else they’ll die of thirst. He _never_ skipped a feeding. If he did, he would’ve been dead a long time ago.

The vampire needed a new plan, fast. Fortunately, he had just the right amount of people to help him go through with it.

“Ever since I got here, I’ve been attacked, electrocuted, and questioned by you people. I haven’t even fed off of anything yet,” The vampire complained loud enough for Troy, Abed, and Chang to hear. “Coming here was an _awful_ idea... and now I’d like to leave.”

The vampire looked away from the officer and glanced at his three victims individually.

“You’re all going to help me,” The vampire breathed. “Whether you like it or not.”

He glared at Officer Chang and twirled his hand. “You are going to drive me someplace safe and take me to someone who’s not as strong as I am,” He commanded. “You'll tell them that I need to be watched, like I’m in need of help. You won’t give them a choice either. Once I’m alone with them, I’ll kill them and escape from this horrible town.”

The officer nodded upon the order. The vampire turned to Abed and twirled his hand again, making them pick up the synthetic rope from the ground.

“You’ll tie me up,” The vampire commanded. “You’ll make me look helpless and frail.” He could picture it now: his next victim would help him into their house, only for him to escape from the rope and feed off of their blood. It’s a classic bait-and-switch… the oldest trick in the book.

Abed nodded. They began to tie his wrists and his legs, not needing to be commanded further. The vampire looked down at the former athlete. He tried to think of something Troy could do to help him escape. The vampire took a good look at him from head to toe.

“You lift, right?” The vampire asked, looking down at Troy’s muscled arms. The former athlete nodded. “Cool. You think you can help me into the van? I can’t move with all this rope restraining me.”

Troy nodded and looked at Abed. Even though they were both under the vampire’s control, they still seemed drawn to each other. They gave each other a dazed smile before they grabbed the vampire and helped him into the back of the van. Chang made his way to the side doors and opened them up for Troy and Abed to get into. He then opened the driver’s door and buckled himself in, hands on the steering wheel despite looking like he just came out of a car crash.

The vampire perked up from the floor of the backseat. He took a good look at the sight in front of him: Troy and Abed were sitting together while Chang stared back at him from the front seat. The vampire constricted his pupils once more, and his eyes glowed brighter.

“Now… you will drive me away,” He commanded slowly. “And once I’m gone, you will _never_ see me again.”

The officer nodded and started the engine. After a few seconds, he was already driving them out of the forest.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I originally planned for this chapter to be longer than anticipated, what with all the worldbuilding, introductions and such. Thankfully, I have decided to explore more of that in Chapter Two, for my sake (and yours). I'm very proud of how this fic is coming along, and I hope you are as well. Speaking of: Zach and I are currently in the process of writing and editing the second chapter, so please be patient with us as we get it done. More tags will be added as we update the fic over time, as well as some trigger warnings prior to certain chapters. Follow my [Tumblr](https://studiesinmodernmovement.tumblr.com/) to check for updates every once in a while!
> 
> By the way, I’m aware that I tagged this work as "Dean Craig Pelton/Jeff Winger", so I will say this now: Craig will officially be introduced in Chapter Two (when the _real_ story between them begins), so there’s no need to worry.
> 
> As always, comments, kudos, and criticism is highly appreciated. Please tell us your thoughts so far, we'd love to hear them! Your support is very appreciated.


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